


Tasks at Hand

by TonalModulator



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: ALMSIVI, ESO main quest, Gen, OC Lore - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26434303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonalModulator/pseuds/TonalModulator
Summary: Hand Llevura Ranith debriefs with Almalexia after Coldharbour and receives her next assignment.
Relationships: Dunmer Vestige & Almalexia, Hand of Almalexia & Almalexia, Llevura Ranith (Vestige OC) & Almalexia
Kudos: 6





	Tasks at Hand

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally expecting to post this to Tumblr as a regular "OC lore" story, but it got a little too long for that.

Llevura walked slowly into Almalexia’s cloister, where she had been told that the Sacred Lady awaited her. Her fear mounted with every step. Of course she was glad to be back and excited to see her god, but so much had happened in Coldharbour. She had ultimately succeeded at stopping Molag Bal and ending the Planemeld, but there were choices along the way that she had to make without guidance. She had been tasked with acting as a beacon and, at times, a proxy for the Tribunal, and she had no idea if she had done it right.

She closed the last few steps between her and her god, knelt, and then rose to face her judgment.

Almalexia, beaming at her approach, pulled her into a hug, lifting her off her feet and causing her to laugh in spite of her nerves. Warmth spread through her, a divine blessing burning away the muck of Coldharbour that had latched onto her soul. Even when she was released back onto the floor, she felt lighter, cleansed of the dread and fatigue she had been carrying. She was home. Gods, she was finally home.

“You have done wonderfully, my dear Llevura,” Almalexia said. “Already, the news is spreading: Armed with the power of the Tribunal, you defied the House of Troubles, faced down Molag Bal, and saved Nirn. We will need to work on the canonical details soon. But first, how are you feeling?”

Llevura took a moment to check in with herself before answering. “I am feeling a lot of things. The ritual with the Amulet was exhilarating, to be sure, but also overwhelming. I suppose that just shows that divine power is not for mortals like me, not that I ever doubted as much. I’m glad to be rid of it, but I also feel some exhaustion at having lost it.”

“It is both a burden and a blessing, best left to those of us who are equipped to handle it,” Almalexia agreed, and then tilted her head. “But there is more.”

“The rest is anxiety with a hint of accomplishment. I achieved what you asked of me in broad terms—and it feels good.” She smiled half-heartedly for a moment, and then let it fade back into contemplation. “But the process I took to get there…I know I was supposed to represent the Tribunal, but there were so many choices. I tried to focus on saving as many people from the House of Troubles as I could, but there was so rarely a clear ‘moral’ option, and sacrifices had to be made. I have no idea if I represented you in the best possible light. And then there was the business with Meridia—she was there, by the way. She kept trying to say that I was hers, despite my, you know, Hand armor and other obvious signs of my true affiliation.” She stopped, sighed, and opened her arms. “I submit myself to your judgment. We could go through everything step by step, if you’d like. I have a list around here somewhere, but I’m sure it’s missing things…”

Almalexia smiled gently. “I suspect that you will have little to atone for, but I would like to know and understand what transpired in Coldharbour, and I also sense that it would bring you peace to get everything off your chest. We can do what you suggest, but I propose a simpler alternative: with your consent, I will pull you into the god-place, enter your mind and review your memories. You would be lucid; you could just push me away from anything you do not want me to see.”

“The god-place, muthsera?”

“More of a state than a place, but the name has stuck over the years. You might know it as the space that is not a space, from Vivec’s Lessons. It is a state of being that my companions and I may step into and out of at will to perceive and process the world without being in it. Time does not flow normally in the god-place. I would be able to experience your memories in a matter of moments. It will be strange, disorienting, and a privilege very few mortals may ever experience.”

The thought of being allowed access to her gods’ secret back room was thrilling, and she liked the idea of being able to simply hand over all of her unadulterated memories, rather than painstakingly explaining every moment of her mission and the motivations that drove her at each individual step. Really, this would hardly be different from everyday life, where the Tribunal could and, she assumed, did see everything she was doing at any moment. There was some discomfort that would come at knowingly being perceived, but that would be true for either option.

“I like your suggestion,” she said. “I consent to you exploring my memories.”

They sat down on cushions on the floor, and Almalexia took Llevura’s hands in hers. Llevura had the sensation of being jerked without moving, accompanied by a faint sense of nausea that quickly passed. Sound around her stopped, save for the breathing of the two living beings in the space. She looked around her—they were still in Almalexia’s cloister, and everything looked the same, but somehow different. Distant. Surreal.

“Welcome to the god-place,” Almalexia said. Her voice lacked its usual boom. Looking at her more closely, Llevura also noticed that her skin was missing its usual glimmer. It was strange: in this state, she was at once obviously divine, in her element in this place of divinity, but also more… _ normal _ (for Llevura dared not think of her as mortal) than she had ever seen her. “Have you acclimated?”

“I think so…oh.” Llevura noticed with surprise that her own voice sounded distorted. She looked down at her hands and saw that her skin looked refracted, as if being perceived through countless shards of glass. It seemed that whatever filter on reality was making Almalexia look and sound like she did was also applied to Llevura, with different results.

Almalexia laughed softly at her look of surprise. “It must be strange to be a mortal in this space. Take your time, and let me know when you are ready.”

“I’m ready.”

Almalexia moved one hand from Llevura’s and placed it gently on the side of her face, letting her thumb stroke her cheek. Llevura felt a nudge at her mind, which she was somehow able to identify as having Almalexia’s signature. She allowed it in and lost her sense of surroundings.

It was disorienting at first to start remembering things suddenly and without an obvious trigger. She had to resist the urge to slow it down and focus on anything in particular and instead helped guide the memories back to when she first arrived in Coldharbour to stop the Planemeld. The memories then began flowing forward, each one being experienced in its entirety, and somehow only lasting a fraction of a moment. On the rare occasion that they came upon a memory that was a little too uncomfortable or personal to review, she pushed against it, and the memory faded away. With their minds partly joined, Llevura could feel Almalexia processing each scene: her shifts in focus, her moments of approval, her contemplation. They began to stack, multiple memories playing over each other. It was on the verge of being overwhelming for Llevura, but she had the sense that Almalexia was being kind in limiting herself to five or ten at a time, as she could presumably process thousands of strands at once—how else could she keep up with the prayers of the entire Dunmer people?

The tour lasted an amount of time that Llevura could not quite identify. Was it hours? Seconds? She was beginning to understand what Almalexia had meant about time moving differently in this state. They were not only outside of the traditional flow of time with respect to the rest of the world, but also with respect to themselves. Eventually, they reached the final confrontation with Molag Bal. They played that memory on its own, without any other memories to cloud it. She felt Almalexia’s pride fill her as she dealt the final blow and cut Molag Bal in half.

Her surroundings faded back in, and she felt Almalexia’s presence leave her mind. Then she felt the jerking sensation again as the rest of the world shifted back to normal as they left the god-place. Almalexia took her hands once again and waited a few moments for her to re-acclimate.

“You have been through much in a short amount of time,” she said at last. “I have seen the way people looked to you, things you may not have noticed. You were seen as a hero and leader, and you played your role well.”

They discussed a number of her memories, with Almalexia giving her advice, agreeing, or at times disagreeing with her choices, but never chastising her for her judgment. “You are but a mortal; you could not be expected to have the wisdom of a god.”

When they were done discussing the details of the individual memories, Llevura asked, “I’m wondering about my friends, Kireth and Raynor Vanos. They were with me until the final assault. Did they make it out?”

“The Vanos siblings are home safe. They arrived back on Nirn just as the planar vortex was destroyed.”

Llevura breathed a sigh of relief. “And the Breton from the Fighters Guild, Darien Gautier? He spoke of some…disturbing dreams. Had me worrying that he might be tied to Coldharbour in some way. And then he vanished when we destroyed the vortex. Do you know if he’s safe? Or, what’s…up with him in general?”

“Darien…” Almalexia paused for a flicker, possibly stepping into the god-place to do some research, and then brought her focus back. “Darien is not tied to Coldharbour, but to the Colored Rooms. But I cannot detect him on Nirn. He may have been lost during the assault, or Meridia may have brought him back to her realm.” Llevura must have looked concerned once more at the mention of Meridia, because Almalexia noted, “Meridia’s involvement brings you a great deal of stress.”

“I didn’t like how she tried to claim me as her champion and tool when I was trying to make it clear to everyone that I was an agent of the Tribunal. It made me feel like I was committing grand acts of blasphemy against my will.”

“You have nothing to worry about. On the level of public appearances, few enough people even recognized Meridia’s involvement that your portrayal as an agent of the Tribunal was unharmed. On a personal level, you also need not worry. My companions and I were the ones who set you on this path in the first place. Meridia may think you were her pawn, but in reality, she was ours.”

Llevura nodded slowly. Just as Almalexia had predicted, she felt better having everything out in the open, and was relieved that she incurred no harsh judgment from her god. She also appreciated the soothing energy that Almalexia was still sending her through their joined hands.

"You have met and exceeded my expectations for you, Llevura, but your role as a Hero is far from over. I have another task for you. Vivec is losing hir divine energy. I know that that is incompatible with your understanding of the Tribunal, but I need you to entertain this reality. You must go to Vvardenfell and help hir figure out what is going on. We have some suspicions, but now is not the time to discuss them; Vivec will share what you need to know when you arrive.

“You may take some time to rest first. Soon, Azura will seek you out. Work with her. She does not wish to see Vvardenfell destroyed any more than we do. And be careful, my Hand. I know that you can handle it, but this task requires just as much discretion as the last, perhaps more. The people must not know that the Tribunal have limitations. Will you do this for me?”

“Of course,” she said, but her mind was racing to process the deviation from her understanding of Temple canon.

Almalexia noticed her faraway look and said, “This troubles you. Let us work through it now, rather than let your concern fester into doubt.”

“It’s just exactly as you said: it’s incompatible with what I know of the Tribunal. That’s fine; I can deal with that. It just takes some processing.”

“That is understandable. If your understanding of our doctrine is firm, then any changes will require some rethinking. I will tell you this, which you must tell no one: Being gods who were once mortal, our divinity is more of a resource pool than a pure state. While it is normally an effectively unlimited resource, if it is siphoned away, it can be depleted. Does this satisfy you?”

“It does. Thank you for your trust in me, muthsera.”

“Thank you for your loyalty, my Hand.” Almalexia stood up and helped Llevura to her feet before returning to her usual hover. She pulled Llevura close and placed a kiss on her forehead, letting one more blessing flow through her. “Now, go and get some well-earned rest.”


End file.
